What Makes Us Human
by DecayingDevils
Summary: Sesskag. Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

He awoke with a fogged head, almost incapable of coherent thought. Dingy, murky, and dank; this was how he would describe the cave he found himself laying in. He assumed it was the cave's naturally muculent atmosphere that obscured his senses, as he observed a sudden inability to hear, see or smell in his usually superior way.

He felt a light touch against his abdomen. Timid, yes, but resolute. He reached out to clutch the offending hand, vision clearing just enough to identify her. Obsidian hair, piercing arctic blue eyes, rosey and chapped lips, all contrasted against ivory skin. She would have been a breathtaking sight had she not been a bitter enemy. And _human_. The notion of a human daring to touch him disgusted him at his very core.

"Don't," Sesshomaru rasped. His efforts to speak surfaced a burning pang in his sides that radiate out. Weakened muscles trembled with violence at the sensation, hazing his awareness further. Still, her resolve was unshakable.

"I need to. You'll bleed out if I don't," she reasoned. He looked to where she made contact with him to see a wound that trickled with thick red blood, pooling around him.

"It will heal on it's own, girl," he tried to bite her with his words, yet they came forth as little more than a tart.

She scoffed at him. She _scoffed_ at _him._ Oh, if he had the strength to-

 _Snap._

A slight sizzle. A flash of lilac. A white hot burn, followed by a cool, soothing stream of energy over his wound. She had dared to insult him by inflicting her healing powers upon him.

"Cease at once. I despise you," he spat.

She looked to him with sincerity, not once stopping the flow of the power that healed him, and simply asked, "Why?"

Why? Could she be serious? And further more, did she truly expect him to answer her? The nerve of this girl. There were a myriad of examples to choose from. Yet he decided he only need one.

"You're a human. And I detest your kind."

She instantly burst into quite an obnoxious cackle, somehow finding humor in this. Kagome rummaged through a small pack beside her, snickering all the while, until she pulled forth a compact mirror and handed it to Sesshomaru to inspect.

Bringing it to his face, he studied the reflection he saw with disbelief and awe, bringing an unclawed hand to probed his unmarked cheeks and de-fanged teeth, swiping at jet black locks.

In pure abhorrence he uttered a single query. " _Human_?"


	2. Chapter 2

"How... How did this happen?" His pulsed thrummed obtrusively in his unpointed ears, chest heavy with panic, breath shaky. She shrugged, and it _irritated_ him.

"I don't know," she declared.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know."

"How did we get to this cave?"

"I don't know."

"How long have we been here?"

"I don't know."

It was his turn to scoff. "Is there anything that you _do_ know?"

Kagome glared at him. He regretted his line of questioning immediately when she huffed air for a clearly long winded response.

"No. There is nothing that I know. I don't know what happen, why you're human, where we are or how we got here. In fact, I have no clue why _any_ of this is happening to me." He surmised she hinted at more than just their current predicament.

"I used to be so happy, ya know. Not a care in the world. Now..." She slumped to the floor with a heavy thud and long sigh, calming herself briefly before speaking again.

"I remember... fighting. A woman. There was a bright light. And then suddenly I'm here in a dingy hole with a human Sesshomaru, bleeding out all over my clothes."

Sesshomaru reflected for a moment, as he too remembered these details, hazy as they were. There was, indeed, a battle. But with whom and for what purpose, he could not recall. That mysterious bright light would most likely prove to be the explanation for their current plight, though the details of how and why would also escape him.

Sesshomaru's now slate black eyes widened as his mind drifted to the mentioned mysterious woman. He, too, had caught a glimpse of her before being over taken by the luminescence. He recalled...

Snowy locks of hair... Amber eyes watching intently from the outskirts of battle. "Mother..." he muttered.

"Mother?" Kagome parroted, though Sesshomaru did not answer as he was still engulfed in his thoughts.

Abruptly he stood, so much so that the very little blood he still processed had rushed in an instant from his head, causing him to stumble slightly back. He expected to be caught by hard rock, but to his surprise it was warm flesh that pressed against his side to stable him.

"Careful," she said. Sneering through clenched teeth, he untangled himself from her form, making his stance clear on being touched. Kagome mumbled something unintelligible, but it sounded suspiciously like 'ungrateful fucking mutt', though he would let this pass for now.

Prideful. Arrogant. But not ignorant. Sesshomaru new three things.

One. He was human. He was weak. He was injured and crippled and in need of assistance.

Two. This girl, he knew, would be the only person near by both capable and willing to be that assistance. Being separated from her traveling companions in an unknown land, he knew she would accept a temporary truce and be at least _somewhat_ cooperative.

Three. His mother, no doubt, was present during whatever took place. She would have the answers. She could undo this.

"Almost certainly, whatever this is, was my mother's doing," he finally spoke. Kagome parted her lips as if to speak, but decided better of it and allowed him to finish.

"The most logical coarse of action at this point is to find her. You will accompany this Sesshomaru," he declared, earning him a stern glare.

"What the fuck-" what a vulgar girl, he thought, "makes you think I would _ever_ 'accompany this Sesshomaru'." She took on a deep tone of mocking, rolling her eyes as she uttered her final words. This, too, he choose to ignore for the moment.

"I presume you wish to return to your half breed," he stated decisively. Kagome's tension visibly left her form at this, which he took as a sign to continue.

"No doubt my mother will know his wear a bouts. As compensation, I will return you unharmed to your pack."

He waited in silence as Kagome pondered this. Oh, what a jack ass he was. The satisfaction she knew she would receive from abandoning him here to die of starvation as one of the humans he hated so much was calling to her.

But then, where would that leave her? Stranded. Alone. 'I guess bad company is better than no company,' she thought. Besides. She wasn't the sort to just let him die, foe as he was, or she would have simply let him bleed to death.

"Promise?" He looked to Kagome, who held a lone pinky to him with expectation. He regarded her quizzically.

"It's custom where I'm from. You lock your pinky with mine and promise. It means your word is absolute, and you can't ever break it. Ever ever."

What a silly thing to do. "Very well," he said, locking his to hers.

Satisfied, Kagome's demeanor perked up quite drastically. "So, we find your mom. Simple. Where do we start?"

There was a small rustle in her hair and a little presence made itself known. "I believe I can help with that," came pesky voice.

"Myoga!" She screeched. "You spineless sneak! How long have you been hiding?"

"I take great offense," the little bug huffed. "I was merely uh... er.."

"Save it."

Sesshomaru step forward to regard the flea. "You said you can help. Explain." His cold tone unnerved Myoga.

"We are currently in what's known as 'The Outskirts.' Being a connoisseur of information-"

"More like a greedy blood sucker," Kagome interrupted. Sesshomaru shot her a warning glance and she bit her tongue.

"I frequent this area. I know it quite well, my lord. I can help navigate the two of you through this land and towards the entrance of the Lady Inu's domain." He was being too helpful. This little pest never did anything without reward.

"And what exactly do you want in return?" Kagome scoffed. The flea feigned mock abhorrence at the implication.

"Why, I simply wish to be nestled next to my dear, sweet Kagome." She gagged. "And to, of course, have unlimited access to your tasty blood~." She pinched him between her thumb and finger, bringing him to meet her gaze.

"No. Fucking. Way." She spat. Myoga argued with her for a moment before Sesshomaru interrupted, growing bored of their squabble.

"Very well. It shall be so."

Kagome snapped her head around. " _Excuse_ you? You can't just auction off my body, I'm not your proper-"

"You will do what is necessary," he calmly demanded, gathering his belongings and emerging from the cave to greet the daylight.

 _Oho._ She gawked and sputtered in bitter irritation, following him with a very smug little bug nestled into her hair.


	3. Chapter 3

"We must follow this path straight on for about forty miles. Then we will reach a passage into the mountains," Myoga said.

"Forty miles?" Kagome groaned, already feeling an ache in her feet. Even in a human form, Sesshomaru's endurance bordered on lunacy, as he did not allow stop for rest until twenty miles passed and the ample after noon sun hung above them.

"Come _on_ Sesshmaru," she whined. "We've been hiking for five straight hours. You've _got_ to be tired."

He ignored her lack of formality. "This Sesshomaru does not tire, girl."

"Forgive me, my lord, but are you not injured?" Myoga asked meekly.

"It is of no consequence."

Kagome continued to piss and moan. Her feet hurt. She was hungry. Her legs ached. She just needed a solid fifteen minute break. She pleaded and begged like this until finally;

"If it will cease your abominable complaining, we may rest here for a short while."

She wasted no time in plopping down beneath a large, shady tree and digging into her pack for a well deserved snack. She pulled out a bag of teriyaki flavored jerky and a small portion of of chocolate. Not the healthiest, she thought. But it kept well in the wilderness, and was easy for a quick boost.

A low growl erupted from the belly of the now human youkai, eliciting a giggle from his companion.

"Hungry?" She asked, offering him a portion of jerky which he quickly smacked from her hand. _Rude._

"I do not eat human food, girl."

She scoffed at him, again, and he found he grew tired of this habit of hers.

"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you _are_ human now, and humans need to eat."

He calmly turned his nose to her, as if she were merely some small insignificant animal he had chosen to ignore. About to give him a very irate piece of her mind, Kagome froze, having just now grasped his behavior.

Rude? Check. Ill-tempered? Check. Egotistic, pretentious and condescending? Check. At first she had just assumed he was being his usual, frigid and snobbish self. Nothing he did was truly out of the ordinary for him.

But now that she thought better of it, noticing the ever subtle switch, she understood.

Pride. What and ugly, stubborn thing. It would drive even the most noble creatures to the brink of starvation. Alright, she thought. If that's how he wants to play it.

"Mm, I'm stuffed," she said, patting her belly before standing. She set down her bag of dried, jerked meat carefully at her feet before turning to leave. "I think I'll take in the scenery a bit," she mused, wondering off, just out of sight.

Kagome found a small clearing near by, adorned with a variety of vibrant wild flowers. She was envisioning the sensation of running naked through the fields, wind in her hair and petals at her feet, when Sesshomaru called for her to return.

"We must keep moving. I'd like to arrive before I die of old age in this form," he groaned.

Unbelievable. The great Lord of the West - moping. Kagome forced herself to stifle her snickers as she packed up her things, noting her now empty bag of goodies.

Soft clicks and clack could be heard near by.

"Oh. That's not good," Myoga said to Kagome.

"What's not good?"

"This road is frequented by bandits, my dear. I fear in our lords current state, we may find ourselves vulnerable."

Kagome snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "So I suppose that means you'll be leaving us now, Myoga?" The little flea nestled further into her hair, trying to hide himself. "Oh, don't worry. Sesshomaru is a remarkable swordsman; we have nothing to fear," she said with the utmost confidence as, sure enough, a group of bandits approached.

The group of men circled in a menacing form around the group. "How much for the girl?" One of them sneered.

"Excuse you?" Kagome nipped.

"Pft. We don't need to bargain," another said. "We can just take her."

"I like that armor. We'll have it as well." The men snickered like hyenas on small prey, but they were gravely under estimating their mark.

Sesshomaru's disposition remained calm, collected, as he assessed his foes before him. Because he was human now, relying solely on technical skill with his blade, there numbers were troublesome. Fifteen? Sixteen men. Having but one arm and a large gash in his side that had yet to heal would also leave him at a stiff disadvantage.

However, the bandit's stance left much to be desired. Limp wrist-ed, weak kneed, poorly postured. None of them posed a serious threat on their own. And the little miko's words of confidence left him smug.

He settled to strike down the strongest first, moving down their ranks until he had slain them all. His movements were swift and graceful. From the very moment he drew his sword, the bandit's fate was sealed. He was focused, slaying one, two, three at a time. The battle was over before Kagome could blink.

He was correct, however, that there numbers would prove treacherous. While preoccupied with one, another came and lunged at Sesshomaru, digging a small blade deep into his side.

Stabbing his sword into the ground to lean upon, Sesshomaru slumped down, forehead resting upon the hilt. Kagome was beside him in an instant, already going to work at his wound with a crack of lilac light.

As she tackled the task at hand, Sesshomaru studied her face scrunched with worry. Sapphire orbs shimmered, threatening tears... for _him_. He was vexed.

"My lord," came Myoga. "I believe we should opt to travel at night from here on, when the roads are less traveled."

"Very well," he said. It would be wise to stay clear of conflict if possible while in this state. "We will rest here until sun down."


	4. Chapter 4

Glowing beacons glittered across swirls of deep cobalt and indigo.

"It's brilliant," she breathed with wide eyes to the sky.

While his original intentions for traveling during the night were to circumvent unwanted combat, Sesshomaru found the most favorable perk of their new schedule was Kagome's awe induced silence. Aside from the occasional ooh's and ahh's that escaped her, she remained mute in her star gazing.

This is bearable, he told himself. In fact, it was moments like this that she reminded him of Rin. Genuine, inspired by such simple things, and most importantly - quiet. Usually.

He could hear himself think. What a wonderful luxury. And yet in this pleasant stillness, he found himself dearly missing his young ward. The absence of flowers braided into his hair. No playful laughter to fill the void he had forgotten was there until he was forced again to face it without her.

That child had become a daughter to him, awarding him with warmth and fulfillment for his paternal affections - as brisk and subtle as it may be.

Sesshomaru looked to Kagome, recognizing the resemblance in her sparkling eyes to Rin's childish sincerity. And then he noticed her clothes.

"You're attire is ruined," he stated, looking at a large stain of his blood that had long since set into the fabric. Nothing would remove it now. Kagome was taken aback a moment, not expecting Sesshomaru to break his precious silence. But if he was offering her a chance to talk, oh she would take it.

"I _know_. And my shoes are completely worn, too. I'll be surprised if they last another day. _And_ we're out of food. And _your_ clothes aren't looking too hot, either."

'Looking too hot?' he thought. 'What an odd thing to say.'

"There is a village coming up along this path shortly," Myoga chimed.

"Perfect," Kagome purred, cupping her cheeks in both hands at the hopes of finding a hot spring to bathe in. And what girl didn't get excited about buying new clothes?

She pulled forth a small amount of change from her pocket and began to count it in her palm. Sesshomaru plopped a hefty sack of money on top of hers. "Save it," he said. "This will more than suffice."

* * *

The village was nothing impressive, and yet Kagome found something of interest at every stall that happened to still be open so late into the night. Noodles, a cooking pot and a few utensils for eating, woven blankets for the cold they would no doubt endure once they reached the Mountain's pass.

Sesshomaru was impressed when she choose a sturdy, well made hunting knife for various uses like skinning and gutting prey. "Well, it won't do to dull such nice swords for those tasks," she had said.

Everything she purchased she had found at a bargain, which he found practical. However, she was by no means frugal when it came time to purchase clothes, and while he enjoyed high quality clothing, it made very little sense to be spending so much on attire that would more than likely be destroyed in the remainder of their journey. Look how easily her original clothing was sullied.

Still, he allowed her the liberty of selecting their new wardrobe, and she dressed him a deep midnight blue tunic with slacks that he wore under his usual armor. She had picked a sleeveless Chinese inspired tunic for herself. It was made of a lilac silk, a slightly darker shade used for the trimmings. She also bought a pair of black shorts - which where no better than her previous green skirt in Sesshomaru's opinion- and black boots reaching just below her knees with sheer black socks covering a few inches higher.

Kagome still looked wildly inappropriate, but he surmised it was necessary to wear garments that allowed her to fight. It was difficult to move adequately in most proper garbs.

As they made their way to a hot springs that one of the merchants had pointed them to, Sesshomaru noticed quite a few wondering eyes laid firmly on Kagome. These men looked hungry, sneaking glances glazed over with lust, and he did not like it.

He snaked his arm around her waist, intent on detouring the gawking men, eliciting an ugly croak of surprise.

"Whoa, whoa, what do you think you're-"

"Quiet, girl."

He snarled, more towards the men than Kagome, causing a few to step back and look away.

It irritated him that she did not immediately understand his intentions. Upon their alliance, she became a tool to him, no different than his armor or his sword. And he was possessive. He would never allow one to openly gawk at his belongings, why would Kagome be any different? She, however, did not seem to share his sentiment.

She turned on her heels to face him, smacking his hand away.

"My name is _not_ 'girl'," she flustered. "It's Kagome."

"This Sesshomaru does not-"

"Say it."

"What."

"My name," she demanded. "Say it."

"I do not-"

"Then don't touch me," she said coldly. Kagome proceeded to walk a firm ten feet in front of him with her nose to the air until they reached the springs. Was she trying to provoke him?

* * *

The springs were small, but pleasant, surrounded by smooth rock and thick, lush trees. Oh Kagome practically melted into the steamy water with a hum of approval.

"Don't you dare peek!" She had howled at Sesshomaru before entering.

He was slightly offended. "This Sesshomaru does not spy on bathing girls." How audacious of her to assume she possessed something he wished to see.

But he would remain close, bathing just on the other side of a large bolder. He had a unnerving suspicion that one of the village men may attempt to sneak into the springs after her. From this position, he could simply turn the corner should he hear a disturbance.

Content this arrangement did not leave them too exposed, Sesshomaru sank into the water. Sore muscles were a novelty to him, but the aches soon soothed. He pondered for a moment previous events.

She was cross with him, this much was clear. Though he preferred her irate silence over her sickly kind and chatty nature, it would not do to have an uncooperative ally. How could he rectify the situation? There was no way of knowing how long she would be mad, but he surmised she was capable of holding quite the grudge. He decided it best to take action.

"Kagome," he called, but not too loudly. They were close enough to still speak relatively quietly, so it was best to do so. After a moment...

"Yes?" Her voice had noticeably soften at his recognition of her name.

"I believe that perhaps this Sesshomaru was... insensitive before." He found himself suppressing a sickly sensation in his gut at the thought of lowering himself this way.

"I am... sorry." He grimaced at the words as they left him.

Abruptly, the water around them blazed, bathing him in a illuminated glow. He was around the border in an instant, sure the cause of this light would be ominous, but instead found the source dangling from Kagome's neck. The Shikon Jewel. It shined with brilliance, it's intense aura licking at all it made contact with.

As soon as is came, it fled, leaving the two to face each other in nudity.

Her breath hitch at the sight of him before her. Realizing she was just as lude, she plummeted to the water, raven locks surfacing in swirls around her.

"SIT," she barked, blinking in momentary confusion as he watched her, still upright and rather unimpressed.

"You forget yourself," he said. "I am not your domesticated pet hanyou."

"Oh. I'm sorry I- Sesshomaru!" She squawked. "Your hair!"

Disinterestedly he twirled a lock and brought it to his eye for inspection only to find...

"Silver?"


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome was a capable women, as far as humans were concerned. But as all humans do, she had her limitations. Deceit was one of them. The girl bore her heart on her sleeve for the world to witness; no malice, no deception. She was like a child that never learned to lie properly. And so, Sesshomaru surmised, seeing her sincerity, she must be truly ignorant of her role in their current circumstance.

The chunk of Shikon jewel she kept was clearly reacting to her subconscious will. A fraction of clarity had now shone over previous events. For one, that mysterious light had in fact been the jewel.

There was a battle. She had seen him as a threat, so the jewel transformed him to an _non_ threatening human. When he addressed her by her name, part of her had seen him as agreeable, granting him a piece of his previous appearance, but not restoring him fully just yet.

Something else in that battle had scared her. It stirred her so deeply that she felt her only means of survival was to flea, and that urge must have been strong indeed to send them so far that even Sesshomaru could not navigate these lands.

And yet as one question was solved, new queries presented themselves. When she fled, why had her mind wished to bring him? If she was so threatened of him that she accidentally turned him human, why save him? Why bother to heal him... or accompany him, for that matter. Of course she wished to return to her friends, but if she felt she was in danger, surely she could have just left him to die. Myoga, no doubt, would have still chosen to guide her.

And if this entire ordeal was in fact _not_ one of his mother's petty schemes, why had she been present? What were they battling, and for what purpose?

His conclusion from before still stood; his mother, having bore witness, would have answers. They will continue on their current path.

He pondered over this as Kagome sat beside him, in front of their small fire that cooked even smaller fish, entangled in her own thoughts.

She missed her darling little Shippo and her dear friend, Sango. She even missed that lecherous Monk. And Inuyasha... Oh he must be furious. She vanished without a trace and no doubt he was driving himself mad trying to track her.

She was his best friend. There was no way he would abandon her. Still, Naraku was closing in. He had to be defeated; _that_ was the priority. And she wasn't the only jewel sensing priestess in the feudal era. It was entirely possible that she had already been replaced by... by... by...

"Stop that," Sesshomaru said.

"Stop what," she hissed.

"Crying."

She scoffed. Crying? She wasn't crying. Kagome brought a hand to swipe away her bangs, only to feel a hot dampness as it brushed against her cheek. Oh.

"Sorry."

She stoked the fire, noting the fish were almost done, when she notice Sesshomaru fidgeting. Strange. She couldn't recall a time she'd ever seen the great western lord fidget. Kagome gave him a questioning look.

"My arm... it feels... cold." He said.

"So grab a blanket."

He stared at her as if she had drooled on herself.

"What?" She asked.

"It's not supposed to feel _anything_."

Oh. His arm. She meekly crawled to his side, placing an apprehensive hand on his limbless shoulder, waiting for permission to continue. He allowed it.

"That's called phantom limb. It's something that sometimes happens to humans."

"It's unnerving," he said.

"Hold still." Kagome pressed her index and middle finger together on both hands, positioning them before striking his shoulder once, twice, three times. He winced at the sudden loss of sensation, but was grateful.

"What did you do?"

"Manipulated your pressure points. Though it's not a permanent fix, so you need to tell me when it starts happening again."

She left his side, only to return with two plates of cooked fish. Raw meat had suddenly lost it's appeal to him.

As he ate, he mulled over his theory that the more she found him acceptable, the more of his previous form would be granted to him. Now was as good a time as any to test this hypothesis, so Sesshomaru leaned into her and in Kagome's ear he whispered softly "Thank you".

The sharp edge to her gaze softened and she smiled warmly at him. So instantaneous and so sincere was the change in her demeanor that it almost caught him off guard.

Kagome's heart fluttered in her chest. 'What did he say? He _thanked_ me...'

Warm light radiated once again from the Shikon Jewel, it's aura sending both of their hair into a frenzied flight around them. It seemed to caress him before dissipating.

Slate black eyes had transform back into spheres of gold as they regarded her, both of them momentarily stunned. And for the first time, Kagome looked into that cold abyss he called a glance, and she saw depth.

* * *

 **A:N/ sorry this chapter was fairly short. Also sorry for grammatical or spelling errors; yes I am aware of them but no I don't plan to fix them anytime soon. Perhaps when I finish the story I'll go back an tinker with it. Thank you for reading 3**


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